Acetylene-gas generator.



No. 634,3l9. Patented Oct. 3, I899.

C. L. ZIMMERMAN. AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed Feb. 25, 1898.) (No Model.)

JJlral Z UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L; ZIMMERMAN, OFOHIOAGO, ILLINOIS.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,319, dated October3, 1899. Application filed February 25, 1898{ Serial No. 671,604. (Nomodel.)

and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Gas 1 Generators, of which thefollowingis a specification.

This invention relates to acetylene-gas generators, and refers morespecifically to an improved portable generator suitable for vehicles orfor domestic purposes.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a generator of thecharacter referred to in which the liquid-reservoir, while arranged inimmediate juxtaposition to the generating-chamber,so that the connectiontherebetween may be most simple in construction, is nevertheless soconnected with said generating-chamber as to minimize the transmissionof the heat of the latter to the liquid of the reservoir, therebypermitting the liquid to remain cool and the flow of the same to thegenerating-chamber to remain more constant and uniform; to provide asimple and directacting valve to control the port affordingcommunication between the reservoir and generating-chamber, which valveis controllable from the outside of the generator through a device whichserves at once as a closure for the filling-aperture of the reservoirand to form a regulating device which controls the position of the valveand cooperates with a graduated scale;-to provide an improved followerby means of which the carbid and residue will be held in compact form;to so construct and arrange the carbidrece'ptacle that it shall be to agreat extent insulated from the outer walls of the generator, and toprovide a generally-improved, simple, and efficient construction ofgenerator which may be most economically manufactured and will beparticularly free from liability to get out of order. v

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, and the same will bereadily understood, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is an axial vertical sectional View taken on a diameterpassing axially through the headlight also. Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryhorizontal sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a topplan view of the upper end of the reservoir, showing particularly thegraduated scale surrounding the valvecontrolling closure. Fig. 4 is adetail plan View of the holding-clamp whereby the generator may beattached to a bicycle.

Referring to the drawings, my invention is therein shown as embodied ina bicycle-lamp;

but it will be understood that by simply providing a suitable frame orbracket for the support of a chimney or shade the generator is also welladapted for domestic purposes.

In the drawings, A designates the base or body of the generator, whichforms the generating-chamber, and B the liquid-reservoir surmountedthereon. The generating-chamber consists in the present instance of acupshaped shell a, preferably spun or otherwise suitably formed with itssides and upper end integral, said end being desirably made convex, andaremovablelower end cap or closure (1,, having screw-threaded connectionwith the port (1. The end closure is conveniently struck up or formed soas to provide an annular vertical shoulder (0 which is screwthreaded tofit within a correspondinglythreaded ring a set in the lower end of theshell a, and a radially-projecting portion or shoulder a, whichunderlies the lower end of the shell and between which and the latter isinterposed a packing-gasket a Desirably the outer periphery'of saidclosure is formed into a roll a to provide a suitable finish and toafford a base upon which the lamp may rest firmly. The lower end closureis also desirably made outwardly convex, as indicated clearly in thedrawings.

0 designates a cu p-shaped carbid-receptacle having cylindrical sides aand a convex lower end 0, said receptacle being of less depth and ofsmaller cross-sectional area than the interior of the generating-chamberand the degree of curvature or convexity of the lower end thereof beinggreater than that of the end of the cap a, so as to provide aninsulating-space c completely surrounding said carbid-receptacle exceptat the central portion ICO of the lower end thereof, which restsdirectly upon and is rigidly attached to the said removable bottom ofthe generator. The carbid-cup is desirably and as herein shown formed ofa single piece'of sheet metal struck up or spun into suitable form.

\Vithin the carbid-cup is arranged to fit and slide a follower D,consisting of a sheetlnetal plate or diaphragm having a peripheralflange (I turned at right angles to the main plane of the follower andarranged to lit against the side walls of the cup and provided also atits center with a relatively large opening (1, which is surrounded by anupstanding integral flange 01 preferably made beltshaped, as indicatedin the drawings. In order to insure a better frictional engagement ofthe follower with the sidewalls of the carbid-receptacle, a plurality ofparallel cuts (Z are arranged to extend inwardly from the edge of theflange at a short distance from each other, so as to form interveningtongues (t, which are sprung outwardly slightly in the formation of thefollower, so as to act as spring-tongues which bear against the interiorof the cup, and thus insure a uniform frictional engagement with thelatter throughout the movement of the follower.

The reservoir B is formed with down wardlyconverging lower sides and isdirectly connected with the central part of the upper end of thegenerator, the construction being such that the point of connectionbetween said parts is of relatively small area. The reservoir is in thepresent instance and desirably made spherical of a single piece of sheetmetal spun or otherwise brought to the required form. Through themeeting portions of the walls of the reservoir and generatingchamber areformed registering apertures 1) (0 respectively, within which is seateda cylindrical valve body E, the main part of which depends within thegeneratingchamher. 0 designates a tapering needle-valve port formedaxially through said valve-body, the upper end thereof, 0', beingenlarged, so as to act as a guide to facilitate the entrance of thevalve therein.

E designates a needle-valve adapted to lit the port of the valve-bodyand provided with a stem c which extends axially up through theliquid-reservoir and is connected with a relatively large screw cap orclosure F, set in the topof said reservoir. Desirably the screw-threadedseat within which the closure F fits is formed by means of a collar W,permanently soldered or otherwise secured in the shell of the reservoir,the upper or exterior end b of said collar being made flat to form agasketseat, between which and the under side of closure 1 is interposeda packing or gasket f. This gasket or packing is preferably made ofsoftrubber or other compressible material, so as to act as a friction ringor spring which will serve to hold the closure in adjusted position eventhough the latter be unscrewed to a considerable extent to adjust theneedle-valve some distance away from its seat.

Around the periphery of the closure F upon the outer wall of thereservoir is formed a series of graduating-marks forming a scale f, (seeFig. 3,) with which is adapted to cooperate an indicator ordownwardly-extending pointer f carried by the closure F. A screwstud fis inserted in the wall of the reservoir in the path of the pointerf soas to prevent the closure from being turned more than a completerevolution unless it be desired to withdraw the latter entirely,together with the connected needle-valve, in which case the screw-studmust first be removed.

The closure F is provided with a relatively large aperture f extendingcentrally therethrough, forming a filling-aperture through which theliquid may be charged into the reservoir, which aperture is internallyscrewthreaded to receive a screw-plug F. In order that there may be noexcess of pressure in the reservoir, so as to interfere with the uniformfeed of the liquid through the valveport, the screw-plug F is providedwith one or more vent-apertures In order that the liquid may be directedfrom the port of the valve to the central part of the body of carbidcontained within the cup regardless of the jolting and tilting of thegenerator, a guide-finger G is connected with the lower end of thevalve-body and arranged to extend downwardly from the latter through thecentral aperture of the followerand into the body of carbid, theconstruction and arrangement of this guide being such that the liquidissuing from the port will flow down the guide instead of droppingfreely. In order that the liquid may flow steadily down the guide ratherthan in the form of successive drops, the needle-valve is made longenough to project through and below the valve-body, the guide G beingbrought so close to its path that the liquid will readily bridge thespace between said parts, and hence maintain a continuous stream.

In order to prevent an excess of pressure in the generator-chamber, asafety-valve is desirably provided in the upper part thereof, this valvebeing of any well-known or suitable construction.

II designates a bracket soldered or otherwise rigidly secured to theside wall of the generator-chamber conveniently about midway of theheight thereof, said bracket being desirably made in the form of acasting, so as to afford a rigid support for the headlight I, which ismounted thereon. In the upper side of the bracket is formed aninteriorlyscrew-threaded burner-nozzle socket h, within which is seateda burner-nozzle II. The socket 71 is preferably of relatively largediameter and is somewhat deeper than required to connect theburner-nozzle, so as to form a small gaschamber 7L below the end of thenozzle. From this chamhera relatively small gas-passage 71 leadsback'through the bracket and communicates with a small short pipe 7L2,which extends through the wall of the generating-chamber and is turneddownwardly at its inner end, so as to stand slightly away from the innerwall of the chamber and open downwardly, this arrangement being adoptedto prevent ingress of any moisture which may condense and trickle downthe sides of the generator-chamber or be splashed up from below. Theprovision of the gas-chamber h is a feature of importance, inasmuch asit aids greatly in preventing the burner from being extinguished by jarsor jolts by supplying a volumn of gas adjacent to the inlet of theburnernozzle, which prevents the stream or column of gas from beingeasily interrupted to an extent sufticient to, extinguish the flame.

71 designates a socket bored to extend from the upper surface of thebracket, near the outer end thereof, obliquely downwardly and inwardlyentirely through the bracket. This 1 socket is adapted to receive theshank h of a support H which is provided at its upper end with a pair ofoppositely projecting curved arms it (see Fig. 2) and a thirdforwardly-projecting arm h, which severally embrace the lower side ofthe headlight I and support the latter in position. Said arms k h aresuitably secured to the headlight, preferably by riveting, as indicatedat W. In order to prevent rotative movement of said headlight-supportrelatively'to the bracket, it is provided at the upper end of its shankwith a head having a lip or lug 77. which fits against the flat frontside it of the bracket. The lower end of the shank, which projectsthrough and beyond the bracket, is screw threaded and provided with asuitable thumbnut h The headlight Iis of novel construction andcomprises a bell-shaped 'shell '1', preferably spun or otherwise formedfrom a single piece and within the front end of which'is mounted adouble convex lens K. The rear end body portion 1'', forming anextension of the bell-shaped part 2', is made approximately cylindric,and the end thereof is'closed by a slightly-convex end wall 2' Withinthe bellshaped part is arranged a removable polished frusto-conicalreflector 2 which is sufficiently smaller than the interior of the shellto permit a surrounding insulating-space i", and at the rear of thecombustion-chamber is mounted a concave reflector 73, which isdetachably secured to the end of the wall of the headlight. Thecylindric portion of the end of the wall of the headlight-body isdesirably made perforated and is also provided with the usual coloredlenses 2' At its lower side the headlight is provided with an opening '6adapted to receive the upper end of the burnernozzle, which latter isprovided with an umbrella-shaped head h, which substantially occupiesthe opening i and is provided with a plurality of air-inlet apertures71, which permit the access of an ample supply of air to the burner-jet.

At its upper side, -vertically above the burner-nozzle, the headlight isprovided with a hood I, provided with a slightly-enlarged andsomewhat-convex closed upper end and desirably made of perforated metalorforaminated both at its sides and top. Throughthe central part of theclosed upper end of the hood is formed a li htin -a erture i and be- 8 bneath this aperture is arranged a baffle-plate i provided with a centralaperture 11, which registers with the aperture 77. The baffleplate issupported free from and some distance below the upper end of the hoodconveniently by means of rivet-studs 2' J designates as'a whole a noveland extremely simple and eflective form of supporting-clamp, by means ofwhich the lamp may be conveniently attached to a bicycle steering-heador the like. Said clamp comprises a T-shaped bracket desirably formed ofstrap metal and soldered or otherwise secured to the rear side of thelower part of the lamp, so as to project at right angles therefrom.- Theend of. said bracket is provided with a thumb-screw aperture j,concentrically with which is rigidly secured a serrated friction-plate3' j designates a ring-shaped clasp adapted to fit upon the part towhich the lamp is to be attached, said clasp being also made of strapmetal and provided with a pair of radially-projecting ears 3' 3',through which is inserted a clamping-screw j".

7' designates an arm formed integrally with the earj of the claspandarranged to extend at right angles thereto, as indicated clearly in theplan view, Fig. 4E. Said arm is provided with a clamping-screw apertureadapted to register with that of the bracket J and is also provided onits proximate face with a rigidly-attached cooperating friction ring ordisk j Through the bracket J and arm 3' of the clasp is inserted asuitable clamping.- screwj, provided with a thumb-nutj Obviously bymeans of this construction the lamp may be rigidly secured at anydesired angle and brought very close to the point of support when theclasp and bracket are clamped in the position indicated in the drawings,or the clasp may be turned so as to form an extension of the bracket J,as found desirable or as may be necessary to avoid interference withparts of the vehicle'upon which it is mounted.

The operation of the lamp will doubtless be obvious from the foregoingdescription, but may be briefly described as follows: The lower end capof the generator having been removed, together with the carbid-cup, thelatter will be partly filled with carbid, either in pulverulent or cakedform, the follower pressed closely down into contact with the same, andthe parts'returned to place. The needle-valve being in closed position,the

screw-plug in the reservoir is next removed I bid and generate gas. Thegas generated passes out through the pipe 72.2 to the nozzle, which maynow be ignited bysimply holding a lighted match adjacent to theignition-aperture 2' Should the rate of generation become too great, thegas will escape through the safety-valve or through the body of theliquid contained in the reservoir and thence through the vent f'Whenever it is noticed that gas is being generated faster than it isconsumed by the burner, the needle-valve may be instantly adjusted so asto reduce the supply of liquid, and thereby reduce the quantity of gasgenerated.

It is to be noted that the construction of the generator is such thatheat due to the hot gas generated within the generating-chamber will notbe transmitted to the liquid-reservoir to any considerable extent. Thisis a feature of importance, inasmuch as it is found in practice that thefeed of liquid is much more uniform and the rate of generation of gascorrespondingly more uniform when the liquid is kept cool. It will alsobe noted that the construction of the reservoir is such that arelatively high head of pressure will be maintained above theliquid-outlet until the reservoir is practically empty. It is further tobe noted that the insulating-space surrounding the carbid-receptacleprevents the transmission of the intense heat present in the mass ofcarbid to the walls of the generator, so that the latter, althoughheated to a certain degree by the hot gas, nevertheless may be readilyhandled. The making of the lower end of the carbid-cup convex and attaching it to the end of the generator at the central portion only istherefore a feature of importance, and not only this but this form ofthe cup greatly facilitates the dislodgment of the residue, which has atendency to cake during slaking.

\Vhile I have herein described what I deem to be a preferred embodimentof my invention, yet it will be obvious that certain details thereof maybe modified to some extent without departing from the spirit of theinvention and without involving more than ordinary mechanical skill. Ido not, therefore, wish to be limited to the precise details describedexcept as made the subject of specific claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In an acetylene-gas generator, thecombination with a carbid-receptacle made throughout a portion of itsheight of uniform crosssectional area, of a follower arranged to fitwithin said portion and consisting of a plate of spring metal having'aperipheral flange turned at an angle to the plate and adapted .to fitagainst the side walls of the carbid-receptacle, said flange beingdivided from its margin inwardly to form one or more integralspring-tongues which frictionally and yieldably engage the sides of thecarbid-receptacle and said follower being provided with a centralopening surrounded by an upstanding outwardly-flaring flange, which actsas a funnel to direct the liquid through the central opening thereof.

2. In a portable acetylene-gas generator, the combination with thegenerator-chamber having a removable lower end closure, of a cup-shapedcarbid-receptacle of smaller crosssectional area than the interior ofthe generating-chamber, and having a convex bottom rigidly attached atits central part only to the lower end closure, whereby said cup isremovable with the latter and an insulatingspace is formed extendingbetween all parts of the cup and outer walls of the generator except atthe point of attachment between the cup and end closure, and a followerfitting within said cup and having yielding frictional engagement withthe sides thereof whereby the carbid is confined in a compact body.

3. In an acetylene-gas generator the combination with agenerating-chamber, a source of liquid-supply and an inlet-portadmitting liquid to the upper part of the generatingchamber, of a valvecontrolling said port, mechanism for adj ustably holding said valvefixed open a definite degree, and a substantially rigid liquid-directingguide projecting freely downward through the space of thegenerating-chamber immediately below the inlet-port and forming asubstantially continuous path for the liquid from said port through thespace and into the carbid, whereby the flow of liquid is madesubstantially uniform and is led by gravity to the carbid and isprevented from forming separate drops.

4. In an acetylene-gas generator, the combination with agenerating-chamber, a source of liquid-supply, a needle-valve port, aneedle-valve controlling said port, and arranged to project at its lowerend through and beyond the port, of a substantially inflexibleliquid-directing guide mounted to extend from a point in proximity tothe projecting end of the needle-valve downwardly into the mass ofcarbid so as to form in effect an extension of the needle-valve point,whereby the liquid is caused to flow from the point of the needle ontothe guide in a relatively uniform stream.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix mysignature hereto, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 22dday of February, A. D. 1898.

CHARLES L. ZIMMERMAN.

Witnesses:

ALBERT II. GRAVES, HENRY W. CARTER.

